Assistant Program Officer (APO) - Communication

Application deadline: 18th March 2013

Background

RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests is a not-for-profit international organization with its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. It specializes in capacity building for community forestry i.e. supporting local people to gain rights over forest resources and manage them. RECOFTC engages in strategic networks and effective partnerships with governments, nongovernment organizations, civil society, the private sector, local people, and research and educational institutes throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. With 25 years of international experience and a rights-based approach to capacity building – involving research and analysis, demonstration sites, and training products – RECOFTC delivers innovative solutions for people and forests.

In recent years, the organization has opened country offices in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia, with its headquarters in Thailand. The Center’s work focuses on the four thematic areas of people, forests and climate change; conflict management over natural resources; livelihood and access to markets for forest dependent communities; and building capacities for community forestry at all levels.

VIETNAM COUNTRY PROGRAM

RECOFTC has been working in Vietnam for more than 10 years, playing a major role in developing in-country capacity to practice community forestry. Our training curricula are used in the country's forestry universities, and we have directly trained hundreds of the country's forestry professionals. RECOFTC has carried out studies and independent evaluations of Vietnam's forestry policies and programs, including a review of its Community Forest Management pilot program and a national capacity-building needs assessment. RECOFTC country program in Vietnam is working to help ensure continuing community forestry efforts work for both its people and its forests.

RECOFTC is seeking to appoint an Assistant Program Officer (APO) - Communication, for the Vietnam Country Program Office. The successful applicant will be based in Hanoi, Vietnam. The contract duration is for twelve months from April 2013 with a possibility of extension.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Assistant Program Officer (APO) - Communication will report to the Vietnam Country Program Coordinator as the immediate supervisor, within RECOFTC’s Program Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation (PROCOME) unit, but will work very closely with the Communications, Marketing and Fundraising (COMAF) unit based in Bangkok, Thailand. As such the APO - Communications will also coordinate work with the COMAF Manager and will help facilitate and support RECOFTC’s overall communication activities in the areas of public awareness, media, events, exhibitions, publications, documentation of project work, photography, and web presence in Vietnam. S/he will work closely with other RECOFTC units as required. 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

Working under the supervision of the Vietnam Country Program Coordinator with overall guidance of the Communications and Fund Raising (COMAF) Manager, the general duties of the APO - Communications will be as follows:

Program development:
- With support from the heads of VCP, PROCOME and COMAF, finalize and update communication strategic plan for the Vietnam Country Program Office;
- With support from the heads of VCP, PROCOME and COMAF, develop partnership strategic plan for the Vietnam Country Program Office;
- Contribute to the development and update of RECOFTC’s strategic plan for Vietnam;
- Periodically update the profiles of key partners in-country;
- In collaboration with both RECOFTC headquarters and Vietnam staff, contribute to the development of project concepts and proposals in Vietnam;
- Create a contacts database for the VCP to help improve outreach with media, civil society, academia, and government partners.
- Maintain stakeholder relations through appropriate communications products: distributing publications, setting up meetings, briefing materials on program developments etc.

Program and service delivery
- Provide outreach and communications support for major stakeholder events, under the immediate supervision of the Vietnam Country Program Coordinator;
- Take initiative to present RECOFTC and VCP creatively to the target audience in events through exhibitions and other visual presentations;
- Coordinate communications materials and the program for VCP events with COMAF;
- Oversee the translation of English knowledge products into Vietnamese, check quality of translation and manage the printing process as necessary for Vietnamese briefs and reports in country. Translate - English press releases into Vietnamese as required, 
- Participate in planning and implementation of the 3rd Regional Forum on People and Forests and the launch of the Vietnamese brief of landmark publication
- Prepare invitations, invitee lists, venues, and engage with key partners, including media, to ensure their participation in VCP events;
- Set up and facilitate the operation of the VCP resource center; 
  + Support program teams in writing /editing, documenting case studies and lessons learned, and supervising the production of finished communication tools and products;
  + Research and visit field projects, taking photos and capturing ‘Stories of Change’ to support RECOFTC’s program evaluation, share lessons learned with partners, and support reporting to the Board of Trustees and donors.
  + Develop content for the RECOFTC website and blog in Vietnamese language and contribute to the contents of RECOFTC website and blog in English language.
  + Support online social media and outreach initiatives to promote RECOFTC training program and other activities. This includes sourcing interesting features for our Facebook and Twitter pages in English with the eventual goal of creating Vietnamese accounts
  + Finalize and produce a country office brochure in English/Vietnamese
  + Produce and manage communications materials for conferences and meetings.
  + Provide support to RECOFTC’s ongoing projects as and when required.
  + CoordinSupport program teams in writing /editing, documenting case studies and lessons learned, and supervising the production of finished communication tools and products;
  + Research and visit field projects, taking photos and capturing ‘Stories of Change’ to support RECOFTC’s program evaluation, share lessons learned with partners, and support reporting to the Board of Trustees and donors.
  + Develop content for the RECOFTC website and blog in Vietnamese language and contribute to the contents of RECOFTC website and blog in English language.
  + Support online social media and outreach initiatives to promote RECOFTC training program and other activities. This includes sourcing interesting features for our Facebook and Twitter pages in English with the eventual goal of creating Vietnamese accounts
  + Finalize and produce a country office brochure in English/Vietnamese
  + Produce and manage communications materials for conferences and meetings.
  + Provide support to RECOFTC’s ongoing projects as and when required.
  + Coordinate the network of Natural Resources Governance with updated news and related on-going projects nation-wide
  + Collect and summarize weekly/monthly news in related field (forestry, environment, natural governance…)

Reporting and monitoring
- Help with the preparation of regular reports for the Vietnam Program and specific projects.

General
- Network with other NGOs and projects
- Perform other tasks as are assigned from time to time by the Country Program Coordinator.

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

The APO - Communications will have the following minimum qualifications and experience:

Essential:
- A Bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, linguistics/ foreign languages or related field, with minimum of three years of relevant experience
- Expertise or proven interest in Asia-Pacific environmental and/or social development issues
- Excellent communication skills in both written and spoken forms in English and Vietnamese
- Fully conversant with use of new technology for communications and outreach, including the web and multimedia tools
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact with people at all levels in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment
- Value the sharing of information and continuous improvement in a co-operative atmosphere of constructive evaluation and learning
- Organized, efficient and able to meet deadlines and manage events
- Vietnamese nationality only

Highly desirable:
- International professional experience of working in communications and/or natural resource management with a non-profit agency; and
- Photography, video and design/layout skills and experience
- Broad contacts with the media, particularly in Vietnam

General:
In additional to job specific skills and experience, all RECOFTC staff should possess the following characteristics (including attitudes and skills):
- Ability to work as an active member of teams. This implies flexibility and open-mindedness;
- Initiative and ability to make informed independent judgments, that are not inconsistent with an overall team approach; and
- Ability to work in a varied cultural and institutional context.

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV and a cover letter indicating why they are suitable for this position along with salary requirements and current contact details of three referees, including recent supervisors to [email protected].  Please quote the position title in the subject line of the email. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. RECOFTC has a competitive compensation package. However, offers shall be based on salary history, relevant experience and qualifications of the selected candidate.

To learn more about RECOFTC, please visit our website www.recoftc.org

Women are strongly encouraged to apply. RECOFTC is an equal opportunity employer and the successful candidate will be selected based on merit.

*RECOFTC reserves the right to offer the position at a lower grade.